Built in 1408 by the Lawless family, this tower house once commanded an impressive position overlooking Bride’s Glen in County Dublin. Today, only the ivy-covered western wall and northwest corner remain, rising three storeys high and offering a glimpse into what was once a formidable defensive structure.

The castle met its demise in 1763 when fire consumed most of the building, leaving behind these evocative ruins. What survives reveals fascinating details about medieval construction techniques; the tower was built using roughly coursed granite masonry, with a distinctive high base batter visible on the northern wall section. The ground floor retains its original vault, oriented on a north-south axis, whilst the western wall features two deep recesses that still display evidence of wicker-centring, a medieval building technique where woven branches were used as temporary support during construction.

These architectural details paint a picture of a once-substantial fortification that served the Lawless family for over 350 years. The presence of a chimney stack indicates that comfort wasn’t entirely sacrificed for defence, suggesting the castle evolved from purely military purposes to become a more comfortable residence over time. Though now reduced to ruins, the remaining walls, measuring 8.4 metres in length and 2.15 metres in width with walls 0.9 metres thick, continue to mark this significant site in Dublin’s medieval landscape.